Israeli Soldiers Filmed Slashing Tires, Throwing Tear Gas at Palestinian Home

Two new videos released by the non-profit organization B'tselem on Sunday allegedly show Israeli soldiers slashing tires and throwing tear gas canisters toward a house in the Palestinian village of Kafr Qaddum in the West Bank on Saturday.

Weekly protests against the occupation take place in Kafr Qaddum and the videos were filmed when soldiers entered the village during one such protest.

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– B’tselem 1

B’tselem 2 – דלג

Murad Shetewi, the central organizer of the protests and the man whose home was targeted by the tear gas, told Haaretz that the canisters were thrown while his wife and five children were at home. Shetewi said that the family required first aid afterwards, as the gas penetrated the house. The canisters landed on the porch of his home, Shetewi said, although the protest was not taking place nearby

"It's not the first time this has happened. Tear gas has been thrown toward my house many times over the past years," Shetewi said. "Over the last two months, many of the village's water containers, which are kept on people's roofs, have been damaged by army fire – They were damaged by shooting so that during the coronavirus period we lost precious water, which is also key to hygiene in this time."

Ayman Shetewi, the owner of the vehicle that was damaged, confirmed to Haaretz that the slashing of his tire took place Saturday. "I'm not even close to where the protest took place, I don't understand why they did it," he said. "He slashed four of my tires. Each one costs about 200 shekels (~$57), where am I supposed to get that money?"